Oil temperature regulator



.Nov. 19, 1935. CHILTON I 2,021,129

OIL TEMPERATURE REGULATOR Filed Sept. 4, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

' ROLAIND CIflT 01V Nov. 19, 1935. R. CHILTON 2,021,129

OIL TEMPERATURE REGULATOR F iled Sept. 4, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

"ROLAND CHILTON ATTO S.

Patented Nov. 19, 1935 PATENT OFFICE OIL TEMPERATURE REGULATOR Roland Chilton, Ridgewood, N. i., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Reed Propeller Co.,' Inc., Garden City, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 4, 1930, Serial No. 479,597 1 Claim. (Cl. 123-196) My invention relates to devices for cooling or warming lubricating oil for use in an internal combustion engine. The principal and particular object of my invention is to provide a compact, light and effective oil temperature regulator for aircraft engines which may be incorporated as an integral part of the engine design and which, thus, does not increase the head resistance by projecting into the slipstream outside the aircraft as in conventional installations.

One object is to provide a devicethat will effectively cool the oil after it has been heated by use in the engine. A further object of the invention is to provide a means whereby the oil may also be rapidly heated up when the engine is started, thus avoiding much of the time lost in warming up engines with exposed coolers wherein operating oil temperatures are not attained until the engine has been run on the ground for a protracted period.

Many aircraft engine carburetors are equipped with an intake air duct having a two-way air entrance-one from a cold air scoop and one from a pipe taking air from near the exhaust manifolds or other hot spot, a suitable control valve being provided to change from hot to cold intake air at the will of the operator.

According to the present invention the air intake duct is modified to provide room for the oil cooler whereby either hot or cold air is. available accordingly as it is desired to increase or decrease the oil temperature.

One advantage of this invention resides in the relatively great flow of air available at the carburetor intake. In a typical instance the weight of air passed in unit time was found to be twice the-weight of oil circulated so that very effective cooling with but a small rise in air temperature is attained. At the same time a relatively small radiator is adequate so that the bulk of the carburetor airduct is not greatly increased and the necessity of exposing the cooler outside the airplane is avoided.

Referring now to the drawings in which similar parts are designated by similar numerals:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section thru the regulator showing the carburetor in part section and a fragmentary view of the engine case and oil tank with the necessary oil pipes. Fig. 2 is a plan section through the regulator and the exhaust pipe of the engine.

Referring first to Fig. 1, l represents the engine crankcase having the usual scavenging oil pump (not shown), of which II is the inlet oil connection from the oil tank l2, and I3 is the oil outlet connection from the engine. The heat transfer coil or radiator I4 is preferably disposed in helical formation around an air cleaning screen I5, both being disposed within a casing l6 attached to'the carburetor H, which is in turn secured to the engine ID by an elbow l8. The upper and lower ends of the coil M are respectively provided with connections l9 and 20, be-

tween which is arranged a by-pass pipe 2| having a spring loaded relief valve 22 adapted to bypass oil to prevent excessive pressures in the coil when the oil is at abnormally low temperatures. The oil outlet l9 from the radiator I4 is connected by a pipe 23 to the oil tank l2, while the inlet 20 .is connected to the pump outlet I 3 by a pipe- 24in In other words, the regulator or controllerfis in this instance placed in the throw-out line from the engine to the tank, as is convenient with the dry sump system common on aircraft engines. It will be obvious that the oil connections may be modified tosuit difierent lubrication systems. 25 is an exhaust pipe of the engine which is surrounded by an air intake passage or stove 26 which comprises a continuation of the housing I6 2 but is separated therefrom by a vertically slidable door 21 operable through a rod 28. The door 21 is of less height than the housing l6 and is shown in the lower position, whereat the air entrance to the housing from the passage 26 is 30 above the door, so that the air is forced by a deflector 29 to flow around the hot exhaust pipe as shown by the arrows. The deflector 29 is secured'to the exhaust pipe 25 by welding or in any other suitable manner. When the door is lifted to its higher position, the air entrance is at the bottom so'that air from the scoop 3|] flows directly into the housing l6 and through the radiator without passing over the hot exhaust pipe. From the plan section of Fig. 2 a will be seen that the housing I6 is of substantially D shape to accommodate the sliding door 27 and that a deflector 3| is provided behind the central portion of the door to force the air towards the sides and 5 back of the coils M. The arrows in this view indicate the air flow in the hot position entering at the bottom through the scoop 30 and traveling around the hot exhaust pipe'25.

While a coil has been indicated as the preferred heat transfer element, it will be understood that by suitably shaping the housing l6,- any form of oil radiator may be used. Furthermore, to suit different engine installations, widely differing arrangements of the hot air stove 66 will be needed, including, for instance, a relatively long hot air pipe to a stove around a front exhaust collector which, in general, would be remote from the carburetor intake. In some installations a pivotally arranged control door or doors will be more convenient than the sliding type indicated.

It will be seen that by this disposition of heat regulator a very compactarrangement having a minimum piping and adapted for a very high rate of air flow, although disposed within the engine cowl, is'provided.

While I have described my invention in detail in its present preferred embodiment, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art after understanding my invention, that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. I aim in the appended claim to cover all such modifications and changes.

What I claim is:

In a temperature control apparatus for a heat generating air consuming power plant having a E circulating lubricating system and having a normally hot exhaust pipe, a housing embracing said pipe and having an air entrance opening, a casing connected with said housing, a single valve adjacent said opening and operable to direct air 1 from said opening around said pipe and into said casing or to direct airirom said opening directly into said casing, means connecting said casing with the power plant air intake, a radiator within said casing, and connections between said radia- 1 tor and the engine lubricating system, said radiator being subject to heat interchange with air passing through said casing. 1

- ROLAND CHILTON. 

